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Best Telescopes UNDER $1000

A practical Buying Guide in 2019

Introduction

The tried and true method is to sort through hundreds of telescopes until you know exactly what you’re looking for. Fortunately for all of us, we can nowadays find the best telescopes for under 1000$.

Will it be like the stuff NASA uses? Of course not, but it will be far better than anything that Copernicus and Galileo worked with, so you might be the next one to get into the Hall of Fame of astronomers!

What MAKES A GOOD TELESCOPE?

Has an astronomy book by Lawrence M. Krauss inspired you to take a closer look at the planets and stars around us, or do you need a simple telescope for additional camping during the summer? Whatever your reason might be for getting a telescope, be assured that you don’t need to spend a ton of cash for a good tool.

The important thing is that you look out for some important features. Let us take a closer look at different types of telescopes that you can buy.

Refractors and reflectors:

There are two basic types of telescopes that you can buy, namely refractors and reflectors. Both types use an objective that collects light, but the main difference between these two telescope types is the kind of objective that is used.

Refractor telescope use a glass lens as their objective. For the amateur astronomer, this is not a big problem, but glass is not the best material for massive telescopes because of lens sagging, the weight of glass and distortion of the pictures.

The most simple refractor telescopes are called Galilean telescopes. They have a somewhat distorted view and a narrow field of view, which makes them inconvenient for modern day practices. A big improvement is the Keplerian telescope, with much wider field of view and greater eye relief. They offer a higher magnification, but come with a big disadvantage – image for the viewer is inverted, both in terms of left-right and up-down.

Reflecting telescopes use mirrors instead of lenses, which eliminates a lot of problems that refractor telescopes have. The Newtonian telescopes offer the arguably best for amateurs, but note that some might find it weird to look an object in the sky from the side of the telescope. Models that fall into the Cassegrain telescope eliminate this problem, as well.

While it might be easy to dismiss all telescopes as inferior to Cassegrain telescopes, all of the different models and technologies have their own advantages and disadvantages. While some telescopes come with certain inconveniences, they might offer a better quality view with a bigger resolution for less money, for example.

FEATURES OF A GREAT TELESCOPE?

Besides knowing the different types of telescopes, you should be familiar with some of the more important features of a telescope. These will help you finding a telescope that will suit your personal needs and also help you identify the price-quality-ratio.

APERTURE:

Most astronomers agree that aperture is the most important spec of a telescope, so this is the first thing you should look out for. Aperture is, in simple terms, diameter of its main, light-gathering objective. It doesn’t matter if the objective is a mirror or a lens, what matters is that a bigger objective creates a sharper and brighter image. This also means that a big aperture will allow you to identify fainter objects in the night sky.

Focal Length

The focal length is the distance between the telescope’s objective and the point where the light rays come together in focus. The focal length determines the magnifying power of a telescope. The rule of thumb is that bigger focal length allows for bigger magnification. If you want to look at specific celestial objects, a bigger focal length might be more desirable, but if you want to look at solar systems or whole galaxies, a smaller focal length might be more of an advantage.

But problems with focal length don’t stop there. A huge focal length only makes sense if the aperture is high enough to begin with. Think about it this way – zooming into an image which has a low resolution will barely help you identify small object any better than not zooming in at all, but zooming into a picture with a high resolution is definitely helpful.

If you want to calculate the magnifying power of a telescope, you can do so pretty easy. You must need to double the objective’s diameter in millimeters. That means that a 100mm telescope would have a practical magnification limit of 200 times.

Portability

Having a huge aperture and great focal length comes at a price, both in terms of money, but also in terms of portability. Some telescopes can be a bother to transport. Unless you, your parents or some friend has a car that you can use to transport larger telescopes, you should settle with some smaller telescopes. But maybe you will simply keep your telescope in your garden or on your balcony? Maybe in this case you can get away with a bigger telescope. This is something very individual, but maybe starting out with something moderately sized is preferable as you’ll be able to upgrade later on.

Mount

Some telescopes come packaged with a mount and some don’t. Make sure to always double check whether or not your particular model ships with a mount. The mount is a platform for your telescope and it is connected to a tripod which offers stability and elevation for your telescope. This not only has an impact on comfort of use, but also on portability and stability.

A rule of thumb is that so-called alt-azimuth mounts are easier to use, good for beginners and lighter telescopes, while the equatorial telescope mounts are better for for heavier telescopes and for people interested in astrophotography. Some equatorial mounts are also computerized, helping you find what you are looking for in the sky, but this, of course, comes with a steeper price.

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TOP 5: Best Telescopes UNDER $1000

APERTURE

254mm

FOCAL LENGTH

1200mm

MOTORISED

No

MOUNT TYPE

Dobsonian

Overall:

Our number one telescope scrapes at the upper limit of our budget for this review, but it is definitely worth its money. The Orion 10019 SkyQuest is a Dobsonian telescope (an altazimuth- mounted Newtonian telescope).

This Dobsonian telescope is computerized and can help you find an incredible amount of celestial objects and formations. You still have to move the telescope by hand, but the coordinates are extremely helpful nonetheless.

This titan of a telescope can be used to look at very far galaxies and nebulae because of its 254mm aperture reflector design. Close-ups of Saturn or the Moon are possible, as well.

The telescope comes with a great stand, tension adjustment knobs, two different eyepieces, a focal length of 1200mm, aperture of 10 inches (254mm) and the focal ratio of f/4.7.

The Object Locator requires a 9V battery.

Optics99%99%

Mount96%96%

Quality94%94%

THINGS WE LIKED

Very versatile

Comes with a stable and adjustable stand

Built-In Object Locator

THINGS WE DIDN'T LIKE

It is NOT a real GoTo telescope, so you have to keep moving it if you want to enjoy a closer celestial bodies for prolonged time.

APERTURE

150mm

FOCAL LENGTH

1500mm

MOTORISED

Yes

MOUNT TYPE

Altazimuth

Overall:

The famous Orange Tube is a computerized telescope that will make stargazing one of the most fun things you will ever do. The GoTo mount is fully automated and has over 40000 celestial objects in it. It would take years to find all of them!

The specs of this telescope are completely amazing considering the relatively moderate price. It has a focal length of 1500mm, so what you are getting is a 150mm f/10 Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope.

The great features of this telescope do come with some drawbacks, though.

This is definitely not the most intuitive and easy-to-setup telescope on the market. If you have someone to help you with the alignment and to show you how to use it, you’ll be able to use it on your own in no time.

But if you are all alone, the somewhat old technology will make it hard to set it up properly. The AC Power Adapter is NOT included and is sold separately.

All in all this is a very affordable telescope that can later be upgraded to get the maximum efficiency out of it and it will require some learning, but if you want great specs for a low price, the NexStar 6 SE is the way to go.

Optics95%95%

Mount97%97%

Quality92%92%

THINGS WE LIKED

Very portable and great for taking pictures

Able to find more than 40000 objects in the sky

Fully automatic telescope with great features

THINGS WE DIDN'T LIKE

Updating the firmware on a Mac or Linux computer is challenging or straight out impossible

APERTURE

80mm

FOCAL LENGTH

600mm

MOTORISED

No

MOUNT TYPE

Vixen Style

Overall:

he Sky-Watcher ProED is a great edition of affordable high-quality refractor telescopes. The 80 mm model is the most affordable one, but it is somewhat weaker than the bigger counterparts. We still think that this one is the best blend of quality and price.

The 80 mm APO Refractor makes use of ED Schott glass and combines with the 600 mm focal length into a great F/7.5 telescope. The ProED 80 mm model offers amazing optics and a lightweight design. It is a great telescope for wide-field astronomical observation of prominent nebulae or close-by galaxies, but it can be used as an astrograph for sky photography, as well.

Another strength of this telescope is that it virtually eliminates residual chromatic aberration, resulting in flawless colors.

This telescope doesn’t perform as well as some better ones in light-polluted areas, so getting out of the city is recommended. It comes without a tripod, so make sure to find something fitting before deciding on the purchase.

This might not be the strongest telescope on the market, but what you can see with it will still blow your mind.

APERTURE

FOCAL LENGTH

MOTORISED

MOUNT TYPE

The ETX125 is an amazing GoTo telescope that not only has a database of over 30000 celestial objects, but also a built-in speaker and over 4 hours of audio content used for educational purposes.

This great scope comes with a 127mm f/15 configuration.

It has a Maksutov-Cassegrain Optical Tube and an internal flip mirror system. This is a fairly portable telescope that will be a great tool for viewing close-ups of the moon, but of course, you can view galaxies and nebulae, as well.

The audio system makes it especially fun for younger users.

The telescope is not suited very well for taking pictures as there is not enough room between the rear port and the horizontal base.

You could maybe fit in a very small erecting prism or go with a smartphone, but the results will be less than optimal.

But if you are not into taking pictures and just want to look at the sky with your own eyes, the ETX125 is a great choice.

CONCLUSION

Hopefully our article was enough to give you a basic overview on what to look out for when buying an affordable telescope. Of course, there is more to every model than meets the eye at first glance, so without testing a huge number of models, you won’t be able to fully understand minor differences.

But what you should be looking for is either something versatile, or something that you don’t already own.

Always make sure to double check whether the telescopes come with a stand, tripod, AC adaptor or any other additional gear. Sometimes you can get into a situation where add-ons can increase your total cost far above what you would have spent for a good bundle that has seemed more expensive at first.

It’s crucial to pinpoint your priorities. Do you want to gaze mostly at galaxies and clusters, or at specific stars and planets? Do you need something stationary or something easy to move?

Make your choice not only based on online reviews, but also on your real life preferences.

Now is your turn which affordable telescope would you recommend? Make sure to share this article with your astronomy friends!

Best Dobsonian Telescopes

A practical Buying Guide in 2018

Introduction

What in the name of the stars is a Dobsonian telescope and why should you care when searching for your perfect telescope? Once a field that could only be studied by scholars and the wealthy, astronomy has made leaps and bounds in ensuring that star-gazing could be accessible to anyone who wanted to do it.

If you are reading this, then that means you! Buying the perfect telescope for your needs is incredibly important and we are here to help! In this buying guide we introduce you to Dobsonian telescopes and discuss what we feel are the top 5 best Dobsonian telescopes.

First, let’s go over what a Dobsonian telescope is.

What’s a dobsonian Telescope?

Dobsonian telescopes are a kind of portable telescope named after the ‘Father of Sidewalk Astronomy’ John Dobson who popularised a portable telescope mount. The technical term for this mount is altazimuth, which just means that it allows the telescope to move up and down and from side to side with relative ease and simplicity. Dobson wanted to make it so that anyone could make and use their own telescope if they wanted.

What are now considered Dobsonian telescopes are not made by Dobson, but still support the idea that telescopes should be accessible, easy to use, and portable. Most of these combine Dobson’s mount with a Newtonian reflector which use two mirrors: one that is spherical to catch the lights and images from the sky, and the other which is a flatter oval to reflect those images through the telescope for us to see.

If you look at a Dobsonian telescope, you may notice that it isn’t long and thin like what you might imagine a telescope to look like. The diameter (or aperture) is bigger which makes it easier to look at the deep sky and see things farther away. This is because a larger aperture gives the telescope a better ability to capture light.

What to Look For in a Dobsonian Telescope?

There are several things that make for a good Dobsonian telescope and some key terms that you need to know in order to make an informed telescope purchase. To make this easier for you, we have listed them here.

Aperture:

Aperture (or diameter of a telescope’s primary lens) is important to consider when purchasing any telescope—Dobsonian included. The larger the aperture, the more you can see. Unfortunately, the larger aperture also comes with a higher price tag and weight. However, the exciting news is that even, say, a 4-inch aperture can collect 204 times the amount of light that your eye can!

Remember that aperture is separate from how magnified objects are—a 2-inch telescope and a 4-inch telescope with the same magnification will have the 4-inch show the object more clearly.

Focal Length:

The focal length of a telescope is the distance between the primary lens and where the light comes into focus. This gives you insight into how much magnification a telescope can handle. Dobsonian telescopes are very interesting because, while they don’t have the highest magnitude available in a telescope, the aperture in Dobsonians means you can see larger parts of space fairly well without adjustment (telescopes with larger focal lengths show things more clearly but tend to show smaller areas).

Mount:

The mount in a Dobsonian telescope is an altazimuth so it can move up and down and side to side. The mount needs to situate the telescope so that it can move easily but also not move so easily that it doesn’t stay where positioned. The mount also needs to be sturdy. Dobsonians are meant for people to use in their backyards or lugged to star-gazing parties so need to be able to withstand being moved constantly and being exposed to the elements.

Portability:

A good Dobsonian telescope needs to be portable so that you are not limited to just your backyard. Make sure though that you go for a telescope that you can transport it safely without injury. If you’ll be sky-watching by yourself and you have a bad back, perhaps one of the larger motorised Dobsonians would not be the best fit for you!

Why you should choose a Dobsonian Telescope?

Dobsonian telescopes are suitable for a wide variety of people who have different ideas on what they desire in a telescope. Because ‘Dobsonian’ primary refers to the mount, there are many different subsets of Dobsonian telescopes for different needs such as astrophotography and viewing Deep Sky Objects. Dobsonian telescopes are good for both people who have no idea their level or field of interest and people who can tell you Earth-loads more about telescopes than we ever could.

A more simplistic Dobsonian lets you point to the sky and manually switch what you are looking at with ease. If you don’t know what precisely you are interested in seeing or want to be able to try astronomy without breaking the bank, this is an excellent choice. More sophisticated Dobsonians can have technology that assists you in more easily finding what you want to see. Say you saw a cool picture of a star but you have no idea if it is visible where you are or even in what direction to point—it can find it for you! For more advanced astronomers, some Dobsonians have tracking software so that you can take those incredibly stunning pictures that you see professionals take of the night sky (this is called astrophotography).

Why you shouldn’t choose a Dobsonian Telescope?

The primary reasons that would make a Dobsonian telescope an unfit choice are its weight and size.

While all telescopes weigh different amounts, Dobsonians can weigh over 80 pounds! If you live in a building without an elevator or have issues with heavy lifting, then perhaps a Dobsonian would not be right for you. Related to that is the size.

Even though Dobsonians are marketed as portable – and they are—they are not tiny and need a substantial amount of space when travelled with.

We know that a lot of people have to rely on public transit and it could be frustrating to lug something this heavy from station to station.

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TOP 5: Best DOBSONIAN Telescopes

APERTURE

305mm

FOCAL LENGTH

1500mm

MOTORISED

Yes

MOUNT TYPE

Dobsonian

Overall:

Skywatcher telescopes such as the SkyWatcher S11820 GoTo Collapsible Dobsonian are created to appeal to a large variety of people. The GoTo function in this telescope means that you can use the Syncan software and easily find and track any of the over 42,000 objects in its database.

This means that budding astronomrs can have assistance finding the objects they want to see, and more experienced astronomers can more easily switch between the objects they wish to track.

The SkyWatcher S11820 is accompanied by a hand controllerso that you do not have to physically readjust the telescope—but if you want to do it manually it’s great for that too! Due to the tracking software, this telescope is also great for astrophotography!

Specifications:

Type: Dobsonian with Newtonian optics

Optical Diameter: 305mm (or 12 inches)

Focal Length: 1500mm

F/Ratio:F/4.9

Focuser:Crayford-style with 2” and 1.25” adaptors

Eyepieces: 25mm & 10mm Plossl

Software: Syncan with hand controller and 42,000 object database

Weight: 43kg/ 94.7 lbs

Conclusion:

The SkyWatcher S11820 GoTo Collapsible Dobsonian is a great choice for someone who already knows they are interested in astronomy and wants to be able to identify Deep Sky Objects or someone who is fascinated with astrophotography.

While this is the most expensive telescope we are listing here, we feel that it is worthy of the investment!

APERTURE

FOCAL LENGTH

MOTORISED

MOUNT TYPE

The Meade Instruments 1005-05-03 LightBridge 10-Inch is a telescope so well made that it can even take on the nemesis of all astronomers: light pollution.

This telescope is capable of showing celestial objects even in rural areas!

The LightBridge 10-Inch is a wonderful choice for anyone who wants to direct the telescope themselves, but also have access to software to help with identification.

Specifications:

Optical Diameter/Aperture: 10” or 254mm

Focal Length: 1270mm

F/Ratio:f/5

Focuser:2” Crayford-style with 1.25” adapter

Eyepiece: 2″ diameter Meade Series 4000 26mm QX Wide Angle

Software: Meade AutoStar Suite Astronomer Edition Software

Weight: 65 lbs

Conclusion:

The Meade Instruments 1005-05-03 LightBridge 10-Inch is an effective telescope for beginners learning how to see the planets and moons, but also more advanced astronomers who like to be able to set up quickly and see objects even in the middle of a city.

APERTURE

254mm

FOCAL LENGTH

1200mm

MOTORISED

No

MOUNT TYPE

Dobsonian

Overall:

The Sky-Watcher 10″ Collapsible Dobsonian Telescope is priced to seem like a mere beginner’s telescope but there is more to it than meets the eye. Not only is this telescope capable of showing you the planets, it can also show Deep Sky Objects with breath-taking clarity.

The Sky-Watcher 10″ Collapsible Dobsonian Telescope does not need to be disassembled but can be to make carrying it easier.

If you are someone who wants to smoothly do the work of star-gazing and identifying themselves without computerised assistance, this telescope may be a wonderful fit!

Specifications:

Optical Diameter: 254mm/ 8 inches

Focal Length: 1200mm

F/Ratio:f/4.7

Focuser:2” Crayford

Eyepieces: 1.25” 10mm & 25mm Plossl

Software: NA

Weight: 81 lbs

Conclusion:

The Sky-Watcher 10″ Collapsible Dobsonian Telescope is an effective telescope for anyone who wants to look at celestial objects near and far with ease.

The trusses mean that the telescope is lighter so that it can be taken to wherever the sky calls you to.

THINGS TO CONSIDER

For computerised telescopes you will need to be able to recognise a couple objects so that the telescope can be aligned properly.

Only clean the mirror if absolutely necessary—telescopes can handle more dirt than you’d expect and taking them apart to clean can potentially void the warranty.

To clean an eye piece, lightly brush it with a camel hair brush—do not touch it with your fingers!

CONCLUSION

We hope that this buying guide helps you understand what a Dobsonian telescope is and why we love them so much! They truly are the ideal telescope for so many people: beginners, more advanced users and even astrophotographers. There are so many telescopes – Dobsonian and otherwise—on the market these days but we feel that these 5 illustrate what a good Dobsonian is and the different attributes they can have.

Remember that Dobsonian telescopes were invented so anyone could make a telescope and explore the universe without price being a deciding factor. In the words of Dobson himself: “It is up to the amateurs to bring astronomy to the people, to get individuals really interested in astronomy…”. So get out there and show the world the wonders of the universe!

Want to learn more? Please look around our site: it is catered to people just like you! We have resources for cameras to use for astrophotography as well as just cool facts if you are a bit space nerdy like we are.

Best TELESCOPES PER APERTURE SIZE

6", 8", 10", 12", 14", 16" Inch Telescopes

Introduction

If you did some research you will probably know by now that the aperture is one of the most important factors while choosing a brand new telescope. In this buying guide, we will focus on the best telescopes by aperture size: 6″, 8″, 10″, 12”, 14” and 16″ inch telescopes.

Of course, there are other important elements like mount type, focal length and eyepieces that you need to have present in your analysis. But the aperture size should be the factor of determination.

Depending on the aperture you choose your decision will impact these three main things:

Amount of gathering light:

This will be directly impacted by the aperture size. A bigger 16″ inch scope will gather more light than a 6″ inch. So for a more professional telescope and the ability to see deeper celestial objects with a great image definition and light you should keep your choice from the 10″ section to bigger ones.

Telescope Size:

When you go after bigger apertures there’ll be a direct impact it the scope size and weight. There are clever designs like the collapsible Dobsonian from Sky Watcher that helps with transportation but as a rule of thumb the more advance the telescope the bigger instrument you’ll have to handle.

Cost:

As you would imagine with a larger aperture the optics are more advanced so the result is a more refined instrument with quite a higher price tag. Although there can be exceptions that we will see later on, like a smaller telescope that comes with a better mount or computer Goto system making it more expensive.

Why is the Aperture Size the most important Factor?

While most people focus on the magnification power of a Telescope. The true factor that will give us a high-quality image is the aperture.There’s no point of having a telescope with a lot of magnification but a poor and fuzzy image.When we use an instrument with a larger aperture the image will be brighter and this is what matters the most, even letting us magnify the image while maintaining the quality.

This misconception also applies to the celestial objects you will be able to track with different aperture sizes. You will be able to see from Galaxies to Nebulae with apertures from 4” but what will differ is their apparent brightness. On a smaller aperture, the brightness is much lower than you will be able to see with a 16″ scope, impacting directly on the quality of the image.

To fully understand the concept of resolving power of telescopes and the different aspects that make them different you can do some further reading on our telescope equipment guide.

How to fine-tune your research?

Before we start our list let’s go over some deductions that will make your research easier.

Determine a budget:

When you are looking for a new scope it’s hard enough to decide which type and brand to go with. So establishing a budget that you are comfortable spending is critical. It will make your life so much easier.

For example, if you have no problem spending a couple of thousand dollars then you have almost no limitations and you can focus on which type of technology to choose from. For instance, you can get a great optical telescope with a GoTo mount that will let you discover celestial objects without the need to manually point it. The computer with a motorized mount and a GPS system will take care of everything after an initial manual alignment.

On the other hand if have only a few hundred dollars to spend you can also take advantage of cheaper telescopes without a computer system but with great 10″ inch aperture optics. Letting you track the same types of celestial objects.

If you are planning to get serious on starting your astronomy journey then manually discovering a navigating a star map is a must.

Ease of Use and Portability:

Are you planning to use the telescope constantly? Are you comfortable setting up and moving around a large and heavy Telescope?

These types of questions should also lead you to a buying decision. If you are comfortable managing large scopes you’ll have no problem with wider apertures. But be sure you will enjoy the process!

Without further ado let’s start the list of Telescopes per aperture size.We’ll start from smaller apertures all the way up to bigger scopes.

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Best 6" INCH Telescope

Celestron has a proven path, with excellent products aimed at beginners to advanced astronomers.

With the NextStar Evolution Series, they managed to match great optics with some incredible technology. Being an automatic scope you will be able to control everything from your smartphone or tablet through the Celestron app.

This Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope comes with a GoTo computerized mount that makes the tracking process a breeze after aligning with three sky objects.

Thanks to it’s mount type and how well it tracks objects is a very interesting choice if you are intro Astrophotography.

If you are looking for a more budget friendly option you can also check the Celestron 6SE.

Aperture:

With an aperture of 6” inches, this is the smaller scope of the list, but the quality of the optics makes it a great option capable of delivering a high-quality image with not too much to envy from bigger telescopes.

The hand computer is really user-friendly and fun to operate making it ideal for new Astronomers that don’t know how to manually track objects in the night sky. This series also comes with Wifi letting us control the system through the Celestron Skyportal App, a great interactive experience.

Portability:

Another great advantage of this scope. Designed to set up everything in just minutes the size is perfect for travelling. It also comes with a travel case making it by far the easiest telescope to handle of this list.

The hand computer comes with an impressive database of 147000 Celestial objects but don’t expect the scope to be able to show you each one of them, it has some logical limitations. It also comes with an interesting guided tour that will automatically take you through different points of the night sky.

Portability:

With an 8″ inch aperture size, this is not a small Telescope yet is still designed to be handled by one person and easy to set up. A great sweet spot between a professional quality scope and a clever design that will make you want to use it constantly.

Best 12" INCH Telescope

Entering the big boy’s section here comes Meade again with the Lx200-ACF 12” a beautiful precise instrument ideal for the more advanced Astronomers that will take advantage of its quality and features.

From looking at the details of the moon to Star Clusters this scope does an amazing job with the combination of the comma free optics and the 12″ inch aperture that will let you gather a lot of light. This is a great upgrade from the 8″ inch version.

There’s no doubt This scope screams quality from the tripod all the way to the optics. But this comes with a price tag. If you are limited in some kind of way you can go for a non-computerized option. This leaves you with a very capable instrument without the computer and GoTo mount. Our recommendation, in this case, is the Sky-Watcher Collapsible Dobsonian 12”inch Telescope.

Best 14" INCH Telescope

Celestron is know for its variety of products aiming from beginners to professional astronomers. In this case, they produced a Top Notch telescope that combined with its 14” inch aperture provides a perfect experience.

Besides its professional optics and mount, this scope is packed with incredible technology. You can control the telescope remotely through an App a very interesting feature.

With its tracking system and light gathering capacity the Celestron team designed the CGX-L 14”SCT with Astro imaging in mind. If you are into Astrophotography this is definitely the perfect pick.

Best 16" INCH Telescope

Finally we got the biggest aperture size of the list yet not the pricier. The Orion 8968 is a really interesting choice packed with all the important things a quality telescope needs (great optics, technology with autonomous tracking system, solid mount).

This monster with a 16” inch aperture size offers the most value of the list thanks to its price point.

Being a Dobsonian type telescope this is not a good choice if you are planning to use it for Astrophotography.

That said, it’s capable to pull in faint nebulas with no problem, delivering a high-quality image with its quality optics.

This scope has a really clever design for such a big instrument. Thanks to the design you can break down both the optical tube and the Dobsonian base, ending up with something that is actually portable. This is a great feature for a scope of this size and weight and will help a lot if you are planning to travel.

Aperture:

Superb 16” inch aperture parabolic primary mirror, ideal for Deep-Sky viewing. Gathering 2.5x more times than a 10” inch and 4x more times than an 8” inch.

Focal Length:

The Focal length of the is 1800mm and F/4.4 focal ratio.

Mount:

This is a Dobsonian Mount with GoTo motorized system for easy automatic tracking. But you can also adjust the handles and move it manually if you wish.

Computer:

The handle held computer is really easy to set up with a quick 2-star alignment. It comes with a Database of 42000 celestial objects to track. And you can manually change position without the need of doing the re-alignment.

Portability:

Thanks to its clever collapsible design Orion manage to produce a scope that you can break down into smaller pieces so you can travel with it in a small car. This doesn’t mean its small and easy to set up you’ll need about 10 minutes to get it ready. But taking into account the aperture size and its capability, being able to travel with such an instrument is a great plus.

BUYING GUIDE & THINGS TO CONSIDER

CONCLUSION

There’s definitely a lot of things to keep in mind when you are researching for a brand new scope. But once you establish a couple of variables like:

Intended purpose:

For example, if you are planning to use it for Astrophotography, the Dobsonian Telescopes are not a good choice because they don’t account for the additional rotation axis of the earth to the fixed object.

Portability:

Are you planning to travel a lot with your telescope? Or you can see your self-leaving the scope, gathering dust because is to big to handle?

Automatic Tracking System:

Do you prefer a computerized system with a GoTo Mount so you can track celestial objects in an automated way or do you prefer going for a traditional telescope and learning how to track things manually and be able to use a star map?

Budget:

Remember, be sure to establish your budget and filter the options that are beyond your spending possibilities.

At this point, you should be looking at a narrower buying decision. And you can go for the wider aperture possible.

The best telescope you can choose will be the one that you are most comfortable with and will let you evolve in this incredible journey called Astronomy.

Best COMPUTERIZED Telescopes

GoTO MOTORIZED TELESCOPES with GPS

Introduction

From beginners to serious amateur Astronomers, the modern tools available are certainly becoming more and more capable and complex. But there’s such a collection of brands and products that picking the right telescope can be quite overwhelming. In this buying guide, we are going to focus on the best computerized telescopes.

But before we go in detail let’s understand what is a computerized telescope:

What is a Computerized Telescope?

A computerized telescope is a traditional telescope paired with a computer and a GPS system that allows to track objects without the need for a star navigation map or tracking celestial objects manually.

There are two types of computerized telescopes: Motorized and non-Motorized.

When we talk about motorized computerized telescopes we are referring to the telescopes that use a mounting system called GoTo mount. These mounts typically are fork driven with a double fork drive or a single fork drive and they can be equatorial as well.

Now, these GoTo mounts have electronic devices, electronic motors for both axes and they are connected to a computer and a GPS system. This will allow us to automatically track diverse objects in the sky leaving all the manual work aside.

On the other hand, non-motorized computerized telescopes will also provide a computer with all the data but you have to manually track an point the optics with the computer’s instructions.

Please keep in mind that in this buying guide we will focus on motorized telescopes. Although is an extra cost the benefits of the motorized options are far more interesting.

But before we go in detail let’s understand what is a computerized telescope for, what makes a good one and why you should go with a computer-based system over a traditional telescope:

Why Choose a Computerized Telescope?

The first and most clear advantage is that a computerized Telescopes with a GoTo mount and a GPS system will automatically track the diverse objects in the sky for you. This feature is really helpful for beginner Astronomers that are overwhelmed and don’t know how to manually track the night sky objects, to advance users that can enjoy a quick and easy to use system with a complete data-base to track from the Messier Catalogue to deep sky objects with just a click of a button.

It’s important to note that the provided computers are user-friendly and really easy to operate. Yo don’t need to have technical knowledge to be able to enjoy this motorized telescopes.

In most cases, this telescopes will also provide a useful guided tour to discover the night sky.

Finally, these systems are ideal if you are in a light-polluted scenario because they use their built-in GPS to track objects while navigating with a star map on your own with a bad light condition can be a real challenge.

Why shouldn’t you choose a Computerized Telescope?

All the benefits that we talked about come with a cost that adds up to the foundation of a traditional telescope. So if you are on a budget you will need to decide if you go for a computerized system with smaller aperture optics or go for a manual system with larger ones. Keep in mind the size of the Telescope will impact on the performance (not the magnification).

Also if you consider yourself not too friendly with technology, (although the computers are relatively easy to operate) you will have a hard time using your brand new telescope. So maybe going the traditional way is a safer bet.

What Makes a Good Computerized or GoTo Telescope?

We need to understand that a computerized telescope is a traditional telescope with interesting gadgets added to it, so the main factors that make a good telescope will also apply here.

Aperture

The quality of your next telescope will be determined by its aperture rather than its magnification. The larger the aperture the crisper and the higher definition image you’ll get.

Focal Length

Be sure to pay attention to the focal length this will make your angle of view wider or more narrow.

Mount

Next is the mount, an essential piece of the kit. If you get the most expensive telescope with a great aperture it will be useless without a sturdy base that can keep a stabilized image. As we mentioned before in this guide we will focus on Telescopes with a GoTo mount that are motorized mounts and using the GPS system it will track all the collection of objects available on each provided computer.

Portability

Keep in mind that most of the more powerful telescopes with wide apertures are normally big and heavy. So you have to decide which is the sweet spot for you. Using a quality telescope to navigate the night sky is a great experience but it also should be compact and light enough to want to use it constantly.

Computer

The most important factors to look in the provided computer are the length of the database for celestial objects and if it’s user-friendly, making it easy and fun to operate.

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TOP 6: Best computerized Telescopes

APERTURE

280mm

FOCAL LENGTH

2800mm

MOTORIZED

Yes

MOUNT TYPE

Alt-Azimuth

Overall:

We are starting this list with a beast made by Celestron, one of the most reputable telescope brands. This beautiful Telescope if for those seeking for top-notch optical quality and the ultimate Astronomy experience but don’t need to worry about a budget.

It’s also a great option for those into Astrophotography when you pair it with the HD pro accessory. This telescope was designed with deep sky Astrophotography in mind, the motors can track accurately for long exposures.

Aperture:

With a generous aperture of 280mm or 11 inches (improved with the Edge HD upgrade), this scope gathers a lot of light, making it ideal for nebulas and galaxies.

Focal Length:

The CPC Deluxe 1100 provides a 2800mm focal length or F/10.This long focal length lets you get really detailed views of the bright objects of our Solar System. Without the need for complex Eyepieces.

Mount:

This telescope comes with a heavy-duty stainless steel tripod with a motorized dual arm fork. The kind of tripod and mount you would expect for such a heavy telescope.Once everything is set up you have a nice and sturdy base that can handle all that weight without a problem.

Computer:

The scope features Skyline technology for a quick alignment and the provided computer comes with a database with over 40000 celestial objects and generates a list of all the best objects currently visible.The hand controller is really easy to operate.

Portability:

Maybe the Achilles heel of this Scope. This is a big tool that weights 30KG. Of course, it’s ergonomically designed to be able to handle it by only one person but if you are looking for something easier to travel with this is not your choice.

The Celestron CPC Deluxe is also available with apertures of 9.25” and 8” inches. Bringing the costs and weights down while maintaining the core features.

APERTURE

356mm

FOCAL LENGTH

1650mm

MOTORIzED

Yes

MOUNT TYPE

Alt-Azimuth

Overall:

Following right behind the CPC Deluxe 1100 we have theS11830 14″ GoTo Collapsible Dobsonian Telescope from SkyWatcher.

This incredible scope features a massive 14” inch aperture and they definitely thought the design out.You are able to collapse the scope making easier to transport and manage. If you take into consideration the size of the aperture this is a pretty portable option for a scope of this characteristics.

Another great quality is the really easy alignment set up. That lets you track objects in no time.

Aperture:

With a whopping 14” inch aperture this scope gathers a lot of light. Making it ideal for detailed observations of the Moon and planets but also capable of reaching deep sky subjects.

This is a GoTo mount with DC Servo Motors. It comes with a dual encoder design that lets you manually move the scope without the need to re-align. So you can decide to use it manually or track automatically with ease.

Computer:

With SyncScan technology the Sky-Watcher offers an easy to use computer with 42900 celestial objects to track at the push of a button. Really convenient to take advantage of the spectacular aperture and it can also provide a guided tour.

Portability:

Once again this is a big telescope but with the clever Collapsible OTA Design, it makes it decent to travel with.

You can separate the base if you travelling in a car or you can just collapse it if you travel in a SUV.

APERTURE

203mm

FOCAL LENGTH

2032mm

MOTORIzED

Yes

MOUNT TYPE

Alt-Azimuth

Overall:

The NextStar 8 SE is a Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope, a classic first introduced in the 1970’s and now updated with modern features like Star SkyAlign just like the CPC Deluxe11000 a great technology by Celestron.

This scope was designed with ease of use in mind and this particular kit comes with a set of very convenient eyepieces.

A well-rounded instrument good for beginners to advanced users and well suited for Astrophotography.

Aperture:

The aperture is 8” inches a good dimension that gathers a lot of light. This is the largest aperture in this series, letting you see deeper into space.

Focal Length:

The NexStar 8SE comes with a 2032mm Focal Length, a f/10 Focal Ratio.

Mount:

This GoTo Mount is a single fork arm with dual servo motors. Its precision tracking makes it a good choice for shorter-exposure Astrophotography.

Computer:

The brain of the scope is the iconic NexStar+ hand-controlled computer.With a database of 40000+ celestial objects, you can track everything you need.

Portability:

This scope is a perfect combination of a powerful tool yet portable enough to use it constantly.

APERTURE

127mm

FOCAL LENGTH

1900mm

MOTORIzED

Yes

MOUNT TYPE

Alt-Azimuth

Overall:

The ETX125 from Meade Instruments it’s a great option if you are starting your astronomy journey. The AudioStarcontroller computer features not only a celestial object data-base but 4 hours of audio content for educational purposes.

This popular scope has been refreshed with the latest technology and is the best computerized telescope for mobile astronomy. The design makes it extremely portable and easy to set up.

If you want to take your scope while travelling this instrument is ideal for you.

Aperture:

With 5” inch aperture, you can expect close up views of the moon and planets or go for stunning views of star clusters and nebulae. But you will definitely be more limited regarding what the more advanced scopes can offer.

The AudioStarcontroller is a great starter computer with 4 hours of audio for education purposes. It has a 30000 celestial object data-base and is really easy to operate.

Portability:

Of course being a smaller scope the advantage of portability is clear. But Meade excelled with the design making also really easy to set up. This is by far our choice if you plan to travel a lot with your scope.

APERTURE

FOCAL LENGTH

MOTORIZED

MOUNT TYPE

Wrapping thing up we picked the best computerized telescope for beginner Astronomers. A combination of price and ease of use makes it a really interesting choice for those just starting out.

Aperture:

This scope has an aperture of 5” inches so you can expect to see some deep sky objects and it’s more than capable for Moon and planet observations.

Focal Length:

The Nexstar 130SLT comes with a 650mm Focal Length, f/5 Focal Ratio.

Mount:

It has a single-arm form motorized GoTo mount with a sturdy enough tripod for a scope of this size.

Just like the Meade is really ETX125 is really easy to set up.

Computer:

The NexStar hand controller computer is packed with a smaller 4000 Celestial Objects data-base with expanded information for 100 of those objects. It features a guided tour mode that is great for beginners.

Portability:

Again this is one of the smaller scopes of the list so the limitation regarding gathering light you’ll gain it with a more portable and lightweight tool.

BUYING GUIDE & THINGS TO CONSIDER

Please bear in mind that you will need to properly align the GoTo mount with at least two bright objects in the night sky. So even if this is an automatic system you do have to know the names or two or three bright stars in the sky to help you get a point of reference.

For instance when you first turn on the telescope it’s going to do a little dance, it’s going to find north, it’s going to find level and based on the information it gets from the GPS it knows where it’s at on the planet and it is going to pick out a star that it wants us to fine-tune it to. For this, the computer will ask us to center that star in the Eyepiece,that’s when we use the finder scope to manually align the bright star.

While most computerized telescopes need a two-star alignment some systems will require a third one.

In this buying guide, we focused on computerized telescopes with a GoTo (motorized) mount.This will automatically track all the objects they have on their computer data-base.But keep in mind that there are also computerized telescopes with non-motorized mounts, these options won’t automatically track objects for you.

CONCLUSION

Hopefully, at this point, you should have a better understanding of what is a computerized telescope, what makes a good one and why is a very interesting system to enjoy Astronomy and discover the night Sky.

There’s definitely a lot of options in today’s market but our picks for the best computerized telescopes cover choices aimed from beginners to advanced users.

We hope you found this buying helpful and please don’t forget to check our guides for the best home telescopes and top rated telescope brands.

Best CELESTRON Telescopes

A PRACTICAL BUYInG GUIDE IN 2018

Introduction

Stargazing and astrophotography are wonderful hobbies; but to indulge in either, you must have the right equipment. The right equipment for hobbyists and professionals alike generally includes one of the Celestron telescopes at some point. The first Celestron telescope was introduced in 1964 and the company has led the industry in innovation and quality since. That is why the best Celestron telescopes are so frequently sought out.

There are many Celestron telescopes on the market today. Each can fill many needs, but you will want to find the right fit for your specific skill level and needs. That is why we have built out this list of the best Celestron telescopes for a variety of needs and budgets. Today we will review the best Celestron telescope for beginners, the best Celestron telescope under several price points, and the best Celestron telescope for astrophotography.

What To Look For In A Telescope For Home

There are four main aspects to consider when buying a telescope. They are power, the eyepiece, the aperture size, and the focal ratio of the telescope. This is why each of these aspects is important to you:

Power:

Buying a telescope with the highest power sounds the the perfect thing to do, but high power can be a Catch 22 situation. Yes, high magnification makes an object appear larger, but the light gathered will be spread over a larger area…creating a fainter image in your eyepiece.To combat that, you will need to have an eyepiece with the right specifications to get the most out of a high power telescope.

Telescope eyepieces:

Every telescope will be equipped with at least one eyepiece. An eyepiece for a telescope is rated in millimeters (mm). Smaller numbers offer higher magnification, i.e. a 10 mm eyepiece will offer a higher magnification than a 25 mm eyepiece. with smaller numbers indicating higher magnification.

It may sound as if you will get the best view of an object with a high power telescope with a higher magnification eyepiece, but that is a tad misleading. You will get a better view of a smaller area, but will have trouble viewing a larger object such as a nebula or cluster.

Another factor to consider is that it can be difficult to keep an object within the sight field of your telescope with a higher magnification eyepiece unless you are using a motorized mount. Additionally, you must keep in mind that higher magnification eyepieces require more light to provide a clearer image. To recap: lower magnification eyepieces make it easier to find and keep objects in view and require less light, so it is easier to view dimmer objects.

Telescope aperture size:

After that long dissertation on eyepieces, you might think there is nothing left to know about a telescope! You have to know about the aperture size, though. The aperture size determines a telescope’s ability to gather light.

Since light is the true key to a telescopes power to observe, the size of its aperture is key to better images. Aperture size describes one of two things, depending on the type of telescope you buy. Withrefractor telescope, it refers to the diameter of the objective lens. With a reflector, it refers to the diameter of the objective mirror.

Telescope Focal Ratio:

Finally, we come to the focal ratio of a telescope. You can calculate a telescope’s focal ratio by dividing its focal length by its aperture size. The focal length is the distance from the main lens to where the light converges to focus.

A higher focal ratio doesn’t necessarily mean a higher quality image. Frequently, it means you will get the best image for the money spent. It also means that you will be buying a longer telescope and may have trouble transporting your scope to your observation point.

TOP 7: Best CELESTRON Telescopes

There are many ways to categorize anything. Today, we are organizing our reviews by price point, skill level, and specialty. For example, we will review the best Celestron telescope under $3,000 all the way down to the best Celestron telescope under $100. Additionally, we will look at the best Celestron telescope for beginners and the best Celestron telescope for astrophotography.

APERTURE

FOCAL LENGTH

MOTORIZED

MOUNT TYPE

Alt-Azimuth

Overall:

TheCelestron CPC 1100 is one of the Celestron’s largest CPC telescopes. It has an extra-wide aperture, multiple computerized features, and the diffraction-limited technology.

This telescope has been designed to be easy to carry and simple to use. It provides amateur astronomers with a mesmerizing view of the moon, Sun, planets, and deep-sky objects. It’s the perfect instrument for anyone wanting detailed views of the nighttime sky.

Specs:

Magnification: 661 x

Focal length: 2800 mm

Aperture: 11 inches

Weight: 65 lbs.

Focal ratio: 10

Light gathering power: 1600 x

GPS: 16 channels

Optics98%98%

Mount97%97%

Quality99%99%

THINGS WE LIKED

Good price-to-quality ratio

Delivers clear and crisp images

No chromatic aberration issues

Includes 3 x Barlow lens and two excellent eyepieces

Effortlessly tracking for the sky objects using the equatorial amount

Coated lenses with high transmission coatings for enhanced image brightness and clarity

APERTURE

203mm

FOCAL LENGTH

2032mm

MOTORIZED

Yes

MOUNT TYPE

Alt-Azimuth

Overall:

Celestron NexStar Evolution 8 boasts the StarBright XLT, which is Celestron’s system of cutting-edge optical elements that easily outclass any other similar components on the commercial telescope market.

One of the most unique features of this telescope is its Wi-Fi functionality, which allows you to use your mobile device like a remote control for the telescope. It’s simply the most user-friendly telescope on the market.

Specs:

Magnification: 480 x

Focal length: 2032 mm

Aperture: 203.2 mm

Weight: 63.7 pounds

Focal ratio: 10

Optics95%95%

Mount93%93%

Quality95%95%

THINGS WE LIKED

Good price-to-quality ratio

Delivers clear and crisp images

No chromatic aberration issues

Includes 3 x Barlow lens and two excellent eyepieces

Effortlessly tracking for the sky objects using the equatorial amount

Coated lenses with high transmission coatings for enhanced image brightness and clarity

APERTURE

FOCAL LENGTH

2032mm

MOTORIZED

Yes

MOUNT TYPE

Alt-Azimuth

Overall:

Celestron NexStar 8 SE Telescope is an excellent choice if you want to learn more about space, planets, and stars in an easy and funny way.

This telescope can also be used for improving your research in the field of astronomy. With an aperture over 200 mm, it guarantees sharp and bright images, keeping stargazing interesting. It’s perfect for camping in the summer as it’s light and easy to transport.

Specs:

Magnification: 400 x

Focal length: 2032 mm

Aperture: 203 mm

Weight: 35.3 pounds

Focal ratio: 10

Optics91%91%

Mount89%89%

Quality92%92%

THINGS WE LIKED

Good price-to-quality ratio

Delivers clear and crisp images

No chromatic aberration issues

Includes 3 x Barlow lens and two excellent eyepieces

Effortlessly tracking for the sky objects using the equatorial amount

Coated lenses with high transmission coatings for enhanced image brightness and clarity

APERTURE

125mm

FOCAL LENGTH

1250mm

MOTORIZED

Yes

MOUNT TYPE

Alt-Azimuth

Overall:

The Celestron NexStar 5 SE Telescope presents accurate images of the celestial objects, with the touch of a button. It blends quality and portability to create a small, simple-to-use precious instrument that still appeals to even experienced stargazing enthusiasts.

This telescope is the ideal scope for beginners stargazing fans who are looking for a relatively inexpensive and easy-to-use telescope. This telescope offers a unique and an appealing way to enjoy stargazing hobby.

Specs:

Magnification: 295 x

Focal length: 1250 mm

Aperture: 125 mm

Weight: 15 pounds

Focal ratio: 10

Batteries: 8 AA batteries

Optics88%88%

Mount90%90%

Quality90%90%

THINGS WE LIKED

Good price-to-quality ratio

Delivers clear and crisp images

No chromatic aberration issues

Includes 3 x Barlow lens and two excellent eyepieces

Effortlessly tracking for the sky objects using the equatorial amount

Coated lenses with high transmission coatings for enhanced image brightness and clarity

APERTURE

127mm

FOCAL LENGTH

1500mm

MOTORIzED

Yes

MOUNT TYPE

Alt-Azimuth

Overall:

The Celestron NexStar 127SLT is suitable for beginners who are looking for a reliable telescope to begin their Astronomy journey. It’s a good choice for those who wish to enjoy stargazing on a budget. Also, its portability makes it a good choice for those who are looking for a telescope that they can easily carry with them.

This scope is especially easy to set up thanks to its single fork arm that can be handled without the use of tools. In addition, the SkyAlign technology makes the telescope capable of aligning itself while aiming at three bright objects in the night sky.

Specs:

Magnification: 300 x

Focal length: 1500 mm

Aperture: 127 mm

Weight: 29.7 pounds

Focal ratio: 12

Light-gathering power: up to 329 x

Optics89%89%

Mount86%86%

Quality93%93%

THINGS WE LIKED

Good price-to-quality ratio

Delivers clear and crisp images

No chromatic aberration issues

Includes 3 x Barlow lens and two excellent eyepieces

Effortlessly tracking for the sky objects using the equatorial amount

Coated lenses with high transmission coatings for enhanced image brightness and clarity

APERTURE

FOCAL LENGTH

MOTORIzED

MOUNT TYPE

Equatorial

Overall:

The high-quality and durable materials make the Celestron 21045 PowerSeeker EQ telescope an excellent choice for the beginner astronomer. It’s affordable, portable but yet powerful.

This telescope utilizes German equatorial mount, which offers improved control over the telescope’s body and tracking process. It offers an astonishing view of the dim stars and whole constellations with the attached lenses bundle.

Specs:

Magnification: 269 x

Focal length: 900 mm

Aperture: 114 mm

Weight: 19 lbs.

Focal ratio: 8

Light-gathering power: 265 x

Optics86%86%

Mount88%88%

Quality87%87%

THINGS WE LIKED

Good price-to-quality ratio

Delivers clear and crisp images

No chromatic aberration issues

Includes 3 x Barlow lens and two excellent eyepieces

Effortlessly tracking for the sky objects using the equatorial amount

Coated lenses with high transmission coatings for enhanced image brightness and clarity

How to Maintain your Telescope:

Proper lens care is crucial to getting the most satisfying long-term use from your Celestron telescope. Lens care is quite simple and can be summed up in five easy steps. A word of caution: this method only works on lenses, not the mirrors in a reflector telescope.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, so the first step is to always use the lens cap. If your telescope doesn’t have one, improvise. You can use a shower cap, plastic sandwich bag, or plastic wrap.

If the damage is done and dust is on your lens, your next step has to be using air to remove loose particles. DO NOT blow on the lens because your breath contains a lot of moisture. Use the air blower from a cleaning kit or compressed air. You can easily find a solid lens cleaning kit on Amazon.

After blowing the loose dust off your lens, use a soft brush to remove any stubborn particles. Use he air blower or compressed air on the brush first just in case there is any dust on it.

You may not need to perform this last step. Using air and a brush may clean your lens entirely. If you can still see eyelash oil or a fingerprint, then you need to use a dry microfiber cloth. A few passes with the cloth should leave your lens perfectly clean, but…

If the dry cloth doesn’t clean your lens, you may need to apply lens cleaner. Apply one or two drops of the cleaner in a lens cleaning kit to the cloth. If you do not have a kit, you can use isopropyl alcohol. Never apply the cleaner to the lens because it can pull dirt into your telescope if not completely removed. After you have cleaned the lens with the moist section of cloth, use a dry spot and go over your lens again, being careful to remove all excess fluid. If the grime is still hanging on tenaciously, then put a few drop of cleaning fluid on a Q-tip and apply a little bit of pressure to the stubborn spot.

CONCLUSION

After our comprehensive review of the 7 best Celestron telescopes, you got a good overview on the different Celestron models and their specs. When you decide to buy one, try to define your requirements and the purposes of getting a telescope, whether it was for deep-sky monitoring, astrophotography, near-Earth objects tracking, terrestrial observations, or as a gift for a kid.

Also, be careful with the telescope components as they’re made of sensitive materials with precise standards. They must be assembled in a specific manner and work in a specific environment to avoid damages.

For a beginner, we recommend the Celestron NexStar 127SLT as it has high specs and it’s gentle on the wallet.

No, let us know what do you think and what’s the best telescope for you?

Best Home Telescopes

For Viewing Planets and Galaxies in 2018

Introduction

Telescopes are fundamental instruments to observe the night sky and if you are getting into Astronomy you probably know you need to choose a scope that will let you learn and enjoy this incredible journey without limitations. But picking the right one can be an intimidating task with such amount of brands, models and factors involved.

In this buying guide, we will cover the best home telescopes for viewing planets and galaxies. Hopefully making your decision a little easier!

Imagine you are enjoying a night barbecue with your family and looked up at the sky to see a beautiful clear night full of shiny stars among the dark background. You would probably wonder:

How can I observe these objects closely?

What kind of telescopes do I need to see clearly?

What features should the telescope have?

How much will I pay for the telescope?

Will the telescope endure the outdoor environment?

Is it easy for me or anyone of my family to handle a telescope?

Before you decide, let’s go through the fundamentals of a telescope.

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What To Look For In A Telescope For Home

In case you decided to buy a telescope for domestic purposes, you should bear in mind a few factors concerning the telescope features to get the best value for your investment.

Focal Length

It is the distance between the center of the lens and the point at which the light is focused.

In general, the telescope consists of two main parts. The optical tube, which includes the objective lens (if the telescope was “Refractor”) or the main concave mirror (if the telescope is “Reflector”).

The focal length is directly proportional to the magnifying power of the telescope. So, the more focal length the telescope has, the bigger you’ll see the objects.

Aperture Size

The aperture size or the diameter of the telescope is a big factor you should consider when buying a telescope since how much you can see through the telescope depends on this diameter.

There is a direct proportionality between the size of the telescope and the resolving power. The resolving power is the telescope ability to show details. Meaning, the higher the resolving power, the better it can show adjacent items one by one.

Massive telescopes are able to gather more light, that way you can look at fainter objects in the sky. Particularly important if you’re in town and the sky is polluted.

Focal Ratio

A focal ratio is a number calculated by dividing the diameter of the telescope by the focal length, This number will be related to the image quality that a certain telescope may have.

So, if you have two telescopes with the same focal length but one has a higher focal ratio, that telescope will have a much larger diameter.

Another example, if you have two telescopes with the same aperture size but one has a larger focal length, that telescope will be much longer.

Both previous cases would be difficult to deal with since you probably want a portable and lightweight telescope to carry easily and get into your car.

Mount

The telescope mount is the stand that holds all the telescope components and as you can imagine it’s an extremely important part. You should consider buying a good one. It stabilizes the telescope on the ground against wobbles and the wind.

When you look for a telescope mount you’ll primarily find two types of mounts, equatorial and alt- azimuth.

The equatorial is essentially used to follow the moving objects in the sky and the alt-azimuth is like the normal tripod of a camera.

The advanced equatorial mounts include a motor drive to track objects and sometimes they come with a programmable computer that includes a large dataset of astronomical objects to aim the telescope automatically. So again, it’s a good idea to invest in the telescope mount.

TOP 7: Best Telescopes for Home

There are a lot of telescope models available in the market, with different features and specs. Here, we list the best telescopes for beginners in 2018 with a general overview for each one.

APERTURE

150mm

FOCAL LENGTH

1500mm

MOTORIZED

No

MOUNT TYPE

Alt-Azimuth

Overall:

From our point of view, the Celestron NexStar 6SE telescope is one of the first-class telescopes for beginners and intermediate astronomers. The NexStar 6SE is especially interesting in case you need a professional computerized mount and monitoring software.

The scope comes with printable sky maps, 75 enhanced photographs, and a 10,000-object database. These are superb assets for those keen to explore the universe.

Because the NexStar 6SE is portable, user-friendly, and effective, it’s by far the proper scope for outdoors as well.Celestron is definitely a big name in the Telescopes market and they’ve earned their prestige with years of great products. If you are interested we also have a buying guide focused on Celestron products.

Specs:

Mount Type: Equatorial

Focal Length: 1500mm

Aperture: 6 inches

Magnification: 60x

Weight: 30 pounds in total Batteries: 8 AA batteries required

Optics98%98%

Mount94%94%

Quality99%99%

THINGS WE LIKED

Comes with a stylish backpack and weighs only 3lbs. You can grab it and run to the closest observation point with ease

Affordable

A resistant telescope, despite its plastic parts

THINGS WE DIDN'T LIKE

The tripod’s weight is light, and it requires to be set on a table or a flat and stable surface

If you’re going out to an observation point, this may not be the best option

APERTURE

254mm

FOCAL LENGTH

650mm

MOTORIzED

Yes

MOUNT TYPE

Alt-Azimuth

Overall:

Celestron NexStar 130 SLT Computerized Telescope is an excellent scope for all beginner and intermediate astronomers.

Its primary feature is the completely automated Altazimuth mount, with the StarPointer finderscope, which means that introducing the date, the time and the location, this scope will automatically turn to the nearest and brightest celestial body in the sky.

The SkyAlign gadget allows you to align on any 3 shiny celestial objects. Considered one of the Celestron’s first-class amateur telescopes, Celestron NexStar 130 SLT Computerized Telescope will genuinely make your interest in astronomy develop sky-high.

This scope was designed as an inexpensive entry-level telescope that can be set and utilized in a few minutes, but it can be also used by an advanced mid-entry level astronomer.

Specs:

Mount Type: Altazimuth

Shipping Weight: 31.6 pounds

Batteries: 8 AA batteries required

Aperture: 130 mm

Focal length: 650 mm

Focal Ratio: f/5

Highest/lowest useful magnification: 307x/19x

Light Gathering Power: 345 x

Computerized hand control with 4,000+ object database including over 600 galaxies, 300 clusters and dozens of beautiful binary stars

Optics92%92%

Mount90%90%

Quality93%93%

THINGS WE LIKED

Comes with a stylish backpack and weighs only 3lbs. You can grab it and run to the closest observation point with ease

Affordable

A resistant telescope, despite its plastic parts

THINGS WE DIDN'T LIKE

The tripod’s weight is light, and it requires to be set on a table or a flat and stable surface

If you’re going out to an observation point, this may not be the best option

This spherical primary mirror pulls in 260% more starlight than the lens of a 60mm refractor. The 4.5″ Classic Dobsonian is a great telescope for surveying the Moon’s many craters, valleys, and mountains.

It’s relatively long focal length and f/8 focal ratio provides well-defined views of Jupiter’s cloud band “stripes” and nearby Galilean moons, not to mention Saturn and its awe-inspiring rings.

This telescope is not limited to only view objects in our solar system. The SkyQuest XT4.5 Classic Dob. is a great telescope to use while star-hopping among the Milky Way’s diverse star clusters and nebulas.

Specs:

Optical design: Reflector

Optical diameter: 114mm

Focal ratio: f/7.9

Eyepieces: Sirius Plossl 25.0mm,10.0mm (1.25″)

Highest useful magnification: 228x

Mount type: Dobsonian

Tube material: Steel

Tripod material: Wood

Length of optical tube: 35.0 in.

Weight: 17.6 lbs.

Focal length: 900 mm

Optics91%91%

Mount84%84%

Quality90%90%

THINGS WE LIKED

Comes with a stylish backpack and weighs only 3lbs. You can grab it and run to the closest observation point with ease

Affordable

A resistant telescope, despite its plastic parts

THINGS WE DIDN'T LIKE

The tripod’s weight is light, and it requires to be set on a table or a flat and stable surface

If you’re going out to an observation point, this may not be the best option

BUYING GUIDE & THINGS TO CONSIDER

Any telescope is judged with the following criterias:

Magnifying power

Except in the case of solar telescopes, magnification is the least important element of a research telescope.

Magnification depends on focal length. As the magnification increases, the telescope focuses on a smaller piece of the sky. Most research telescopes are designed to operate at the smallest magnification possible, to examine a larger piece of sky.

The distance and details they see depend more on their light-collecting ability and resolution than their magnification.

Solar telescopes, however, can rely on magnification because they don’t have to look deep into space, see much of the sky, or gather much light to clearly view the Sun.

Quality

A modern research telescope is only as good as the cameras and other instruments that record and analyze the light that it captures.

Instruments are judged by many factors, such as the quality of their images, how effectively they spread out light, and how much light they capture.

Light-collecting ability

Faint objects are hard to see. Objects appear faint because they’re far away, and/or because they glow dimly. The more light a telescope can collect, the better it can see faint objects. Large mirrors and lenses allow telescopes to collect more light.

Resolution

Resolution is the ability to see detail in an object. A telescope with high (good) resolution will be able to see two points of light as being separate from one another.

A telescope with low resolution will blur the two points together into a single point of light.

Aperture is the most important thing to consider, so try to go for a minimum of 4″ if you want to see stars like the way you want.

All the suggested telescopes here can, in principle, see most of the planets such as Jupiter and its main moons, Saturn and its rings, Mars, Venus.

The large telescopes can even see Uranus and Neptune as a little blue dot. The best telescope brands in the market are Celestron, Meade, and Orion.

How to Set up & Maintain your Telescope:

Before you can begin observing, you must set up your hand control, align your finderscope and align your telescope.

To get the telescope working, you will need 8AA batteries. Keep in mind you can also plug the scope.

For a correct maintaining, cleaning your telescope from time to time is crucial to protect the components from dust and water vapour. However, it’s tricky to do so and you must be careful because lenses and mirrors are sensitive.

Take care of your optics and clean them only when necessary. If dust has built upon them, remove it with a specialized brush and some pressurized air.

Do not use industrial cleaning solutions, as these may contain alcohol or other substances that may destroy the lens. Apply some optical cleaning solution on a very soft piece of cloth and remove any debris left from the center to the outer portion.

Minimize the risk of contamination and thus the need to clean your scope by applying the lens covers as soon as you finish using the telescope.

Being a Newtonian Telescope, for example, the Celestron NexStar 130 SLT Computerized telescope will need to be collimated occasionally, but you can find all the information about collimation either in the telescope’s manual or online.

CONCLUSION

Now let’s go over 5 things to consider when buying your telescope:

All other things being equal, bigger is simply better. Bigger telescopes can collect a greater abundance of light than small ones. As a practical matter, this means that dim objects will stand out more clearly.

When planning your purchase, remember that there will be additional expenses. Filters and eyepieces will be necessary, but their price isn’t necessarily enfolded into the telescope’s price. Eyepieces typically come in a set. Be sure the set you select gives you a high level of magnification.

Some telescopes come with a computer-controlled mount that should stay in place without wiggling or wobbling whenever you adjust its focus on some planet or star. Experiment with it at the store to make sure the mount is manoeuvrable and stable, to be certain that the optical quality is satisfactory.

Understand whether you’re going to be using your telescope for stargazing or for photographing the night sky. For stargazing, a firm alt-azimuth mount will let you enjoy your new hobby without being annoyed by constant small adjustments. If, however, you want to take pictures (engaging in astrophotography), you’ll need a mount with a clock drive to compensate for the Earth’s rotation and allowing you to track the stars for longer exposures. This means the telescope can track any objects you wish all night long while adjusting for the Earth’s constant rotation allowing a long exposure.

Yes, bigger is better, but size needs to be balanced against ease of transport and simplicity of setup. This is particularly important if you’re purchasing it for a child.

To sum up, we presented an overview of the best rated beginner telescopes for home in 2018.

At this point, you should have a clear understanding of what you need to consider to make a good buying decision.

Orion 09007 SpaceProbe 130ST Review

PRODUCT DETAILS

This 5.1 inch aperture reflector telescope gathers an ample amount of light for great views of the planets and Moon, as well as brighter galaxies, nebulas, and star clusters

Short 24 inch long optical tube design for easy portability and fast f/5 focal ratio for pleasing wide-field performance makes the SpaceProbe 130ST EQ a very versatile telescope the whole family can enjoy